I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to elements for supporting and bracing sealed-glazing units or similar plate-like bodies intended to be placed between the edge portion of a sealed glazing unit and the surrounding frame bar in order to support or brace the sealed glazing unit at a predetermined distance from the frame bar.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Supporting and bracing elements are used when mounting sealed-glazing units between the edge portion of the sealed-glazing unit and the frame bar in order to support the sealed-glazing unit and when casement windows are used also to brace said unit laterally. The purpose of the elements is to distribute the pressure forces acting between the unit and the casement or frame in a manner so controlled that the panes of glass in the unit take up substantially equal pressure forces. The elements used up to now usually consist of an elongated, disc-shaped body, the width of which exceeds by a short distance the width of said unit. A large problem in using the known elements occurs especially when bracing said units laterally. In these cases jamming forces between the unit and the surrounding frame bar often cannot keep the elements in their positions so that the elements therefore slide down along the flange of the frame bar and are gathered in the lowermost corner of the sealed glazing unit.